Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
assessments, a National Adaptation Plan, Climate Resilience Toolkits for businesses,
and several billion pounds spent since 2010 on
ood and coastal erosion adaptation.
Local authorities in London have prepared a number of reports on how the capi-
tal
s transport and other infrastructure systems can be protected from climate
change factors such as increased
'
ooding. Fundamental reforms to the UK military
in recent years have been ostensibly designed to focus more on preventive action,
including on climate preparedness. This will
involve pulling troops back from
overseas engagement for a more defensive
defence doctrine, while
reducing the military to its smallest size for more than a century.
31
The UK
'
contingency
'
s
outgoing climate security envoy argued that threats to the global trading system
have a read-over to military con
'
gurations: the notion of
'
maritime resilience
'
has
taken root, re
ecting the importance of missions aimed at keeping commercial sea
routes open and free of con
cials talk of the military being mobilised to
protect sea lanes, communications and trade routes. A Royal Navy ship on tour in
the West Indies now gets disaster relief training. UK o
ict. UK o
cials have made trips to the
US to learn about preparedness for homeland defences.
Yet, on homeland defence the EU also lags well behind the evolution in US
military planning. In the US the focus has been on shoring up both military and
civilian capacities to deal with disasters in the United States itself. This was a result of
the tragic under-preparedness revealed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Even here,
where the
perspective has been so clearly pre-eminent, critics
argue that the progress has been insu
'
homeland defence
'
cient. While there have been some similar
steps adopted in Europe, this kind of policy orientation has been much less evident
than in the US.
32
Member state diplomats acknowledge that homeland defence is
still not advancing signi
cantly in Europe. Only a quarter of US troops are trained
for disaster relief; a big e
ort has been made to increase this proportion. Much less
investment has been forthcoming in Europe. This type of recon
guration has been
more notable in the US than in Europe. US strategic planning has been much more
tightly oriented towards guarding supply routes and shipping lanes.
Notwithstanding the steps adopted to enhance protective measures, UK policy-
makers are adamant that recon
guring defence capabilities on the basis of a
'
lifeboat
'
Britain
scenario is not feasible as a long-term solution. Debate has taken shape on
such an approach
certainly in the UK, where by dint of geography the lifeboat
scenario at least appears as an option. Some e
-
ort has certainly gone into thinking
what kind of military resources would be needed to turn back growing hordes of
environmental refugees from British shores. As yet, however, there is no discernible
preparation for such a lifeboat-based approach to policy. A lifeboat strategy would
require some fundamental choices, such as withdrawing from the EU or the World
Trade Organization (WTO) and many other international bodies and conventions;
politicians insist they are not willing to entertain such drastic steps, at least as yet.
